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Nutmeg, the spice of life... the source of empathy, its oils that can make MDMA, New York being swapped for the spice's source, its widespread uses, people carrying around nutmeg graters on their persons in the 17th and 1800's...

In the opening episode of The Secret Story of Nutmeg, filmmaker Andy DelVecchio begins an investigation into how a single seed—Myristica fragrans—helped shape global trade, empire, and belief. From plague cures and aphrodisiac lore to colonial monopolies enforced by violence, nutmeg’s true history is stranger than fiction.

The journey begins with a phone call… and a claim that sounds impossible: that nutmeg contains a compound chemically related to substances associated with empathy and altered states of consciousness. Not MDMA—but something structurally connected.

It was reason enough for filmmaker Andy to sink his teeth into the mysteries and hidden histories of a spice he never thought much about until now.

History & Empire

• Nathaniel’s Nutmeg by Giles Milton — https://www.gilesmilton.com/historybooks/nathaniels-nutmeg
• Nutmeg historical overview — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutmeg

Chemistry & Psychoactive Research

• Myristicin chemical overview — https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/.../myristicin
• Pharmacological potential of myristicin — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34641457/
• Myristicin summary & toxicity — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myristicin

Cultural & Material History

• Nutmeg graters (history & museum context) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutmeg_grater
• Nutmeg graters ( History and musuem context) - https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O78420/nutmeg-grater-unknown/
• BBC Nutmeg: Nature’s Perfect Package (1983) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uLGqpg9TvE

Stay Tuned...this podcast covers seasons following Trade and empathy, Ecstasy and empathy, the empathy evolution of man and much, much more...it's going to be a wild ride. What's more, start with these links above and see where they take you!

Disclaimer
This podcast explores history, chemistry, cultural belief, and speculation.
It does not provide medical advice or advocate drug use.
Nutmeg contains the compound myristicin, which is not MDMA.
Historical medicinal claims reflect beliefs of their time, not modern science.
Some ideas presented are interpretive and are examined critically throughout the series.